Copper landlines are on their way out across Australia, and most business owners only think about it once their phone line stops working. If you’re running a business on an old FTTN or FTTC connection, that day is coming faster than you’d think.
This guide breaks down exactly what an NBN VoIP phone setup involves, whether you actually still need a phone line on the NBN, and what changes when your office switches from copper to NBN VoIP. We’ll keep it practical, because if you’re reading this, you probably just want your phones working without a mid-week disaster.
VoIP on the NBN means your calls travel over your internet connection instead of a physical copper wire. It’s also called a voice over IP landline, and it’s now the standard way businesses across Australia make and receive calls.
There are two ways an NBN phone service actually gets delivered, and the difference matters more than most guides admit:
If your office is already on full fibre, UNI-V is worth asking your provider about, especially if calls are the backbone of your business.
No. You don’t need a separate, paid copper phone line to use the NBN. If you want to keep a landline number, though, you’ll need a VoIP service, because traditional PSTN copper voice services are being phased out nationally.
Here’s where it gets specific for 2026. Most of Australia already moved off copper years ago, when the original NBN rollout was completed. But a new program now targets the remaining FTTN and FTTC premises that never upgraded:
There’s no blanket “18 months, and you’re cut off” rule anymore. It’s a staged, provider-managed program with a much longer runway.
Worth noting: Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster Satellite services sit outside this program entirely, so if that’s your connection type, this timeline doesn’t apply to you.
For the full details straight from the source, here’s NBN Co’s Targeted Upgrade program announcement.
A basic NBN home phone plan gives you calls and voicemail. A business phone system needs to do a lot more than that.
Home VoIP is fine for a household. You get a number, you make calls, done. It’s usually a simple pay-as-you-go add-on to a residential internet plan, marketed as a VoIP home phone.
Business is a different game entirely. You’re dealing with:
That’s the gap a basic NBN home phone plan simply wasn’t built for. This is where a proper Cloud PBX comes in, with call queues, extensions, auto-attendants, and CRM integration built around how a real team works.
If your office is outgrowing a basic phone line, it’s worth taking a look at QuantaCom’s Business Voice and Cloud PBX solutions to see the gap between “a phone” and “a phone system.”
Telephone to VoIP migration usually comes down to three things: your number, your handsets, and your older equipment.
Porting your number. Your existing landline number can usually move across to your new VoIP provider. Start the port before you cancel your old service, not after; otherwise the number gets released, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get it back.
Your handsets. Most existing analogue phones keep working, either plugged into a compatible router or through an adapter. You’re not throwing out your desk phones.
The equipment audit. This is the step people skip and regret. Check:
Some of this gear needs a compatibility check or registration before the copper switch happens. NBN Co runs a free Medical Alarm Register for exactly this reason, and it’s worth doing before your line goes anywhere, not after it’s already down.
Short answer: probably less new hardware than you’d expect. Most existing gear can be reused.
Looking for VoIP phones for NBN compatibility comes down to two paths:
If you’re on FTTP, your NBN Connection Box plugs straight into a UNI-V port without needing a modem in between at all. One thing to flag: if your current router has no Ethernet WAN port, that’s the piece you’ll need to replace when your copper connection is upgraded to full fibre.
For a look at what fits an Aussie small business setup, see QuantaCom’s VoIP-ready business phone equipment, built around hardware partners like Yealink, Cisco, TP-Link and Snom.
The biggest difference: a traditional copper landline stayed powered during a blackout. A VoIP landline doesn’t, unless you plan for it.
Old copper phone lines carried their own low-voltage power straight from the exchange, so your phone worked even if your building lost electricity. VoIP relies on your internet connection and mains power. No power, no internet, no calls, full stop.
Here’s the part most guides skip: NBN Co stopped supplying battery backup units for new Fibre Phone connections from June 2024. If your office already has one installed, it can stay, but new setups don’t come with this safety net automatically.
What this means in practice for a business:
Feature | Traditional Copper Landline | VoIP Landline (NBN) |
Power during outage | Stays on via exchange power | Off unless you have a UPS |
Call quality control | Fixed, can’t scale | Depends on internet quality/bandwidth |
Adding new lines | Requires physical wiring | Add a user in minutes |
Works with CRM/software | No | Yes, natively |
Cost as business scales | Rises per physical line | Scales per user, not per cable |
There’s no fixed, universal price for VoIP, and anyone quoting a flat number without knowing your setup is guessing.
Residential NBN with home phone bundles are usually a simple monthly call pack layered on top of an ISP’s internet plan. That model makes sense for a household making occasional calls.
Business VoIP doesn’t work like that. Pricing scales with:
Because every business setup is different, the honest answer is: get a quote based on your actual team size and call volume, not a generic figure pulled from a residential comparison site. It’s the only way the number you’re given actually reflects what you’ll use.
The right pick comes down to five things: local support, contract flexibility, scalability, software integration, and hardware quality. Skip any of these, and you’ll feel it within six months.
When comparing voice over internet protocol providers, run through this checklist:
QuantaCom is a Perth-based, contract-free business telecom provider built specifically around these gaps. Our Cloud PBX (Orbit) covers Microsoft Teams integration, Zoho CRM click-to-dial and call logging, a cloud softphone app for remote staff, hot desking, geo-routing, paging, and virtual fax, all backed by hardware from Yealink, Cisco, TP-Link and Snom. It’s built for businesses that need more than a basic line, without the long contracts that usually come attached.
Whether the copper switch-off timeline has already reached your suburb or you’re planning ahead of it, moving from an ageing NBN and telephone setup to a proper business VoIP system is worth doing on your own terms, not NBN Co’s.
A well-planned VoIP phone NBN migration helps minimise downtime and protect your existing number, alongside a phone system that actually supports how your team works.
QuantaCom has spent years helping Perth businesses make this exact move, without the guesswork or the sales pressure. If you’re ready to see what a real business phone system looks like, our team can walk you through it.
Usually, yes. Most analogue handsets work with any provider’s VoIP service through a compatible router or adapter, unless the phone is locked to a specific carrier’s hardware.
Not immediately. NBN Co’s process includes multiple warnings and a case-managed support option before any suspension, giving you real time to act.
Most VoIP services support 000, but this depends on your provider and plan. VoIP also needs power and internet, so keep a charged mobile on hand as backup during outages.
Your existing landline phone will usually still work, connected through a router, adapter, or NBN connection box, so there’s rarely a need to buy a new handset.
Alarms wired to a copper line may stop working on fibre. Check compatibility with your alarm provider and arrange an alternative, like cellular backup, before the switch happens.
